Learning Design Process

Our Learning Design Process is a flexible planning tool that helps teachers design rich learning experiences for their students that are real, visible and for everyone. We’ve suggested some key questions to ask and answer, but in reality any format, whether linear or abstract, could be used with the template.

Create a Pitch

Jumping straight into a Learning Design Process can be a challenge when you’re not exactly sure where you want to go with a design. Following the principles of Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe), this Learning Design Pitch Templatecan be used to help you “begin with the end in mind.” A Pitch Template invites you to think about the four big elements of our instructional design: the Big Ideas (which can be used to develop the driving question(s)), the Inquiry and Project Deliverables (what the students create to display their learning), and the Exhibition (the venue and the audience for showcasing and celebrating that learning). Any of these sections could be done as a collaborative brainstorm to explore many possibilities.

THE FOUR BOXES

Big Ideas

What are the major themes of the lesson, section, unit, course, etc. you are designing for? These could be broad thematic topics (“Waste in Our World”), specific curricular outcomes (“Students will understand the role of the pituitary gland.”), or qualities and attributes we hope to bring out in our students (“Empathy,” “Problem Solving,” “Innovation,” etc.)

Inquiry

Inquiry is a process of discovery. Whether done through reading texts, research, hands-on exploration, interviews, tackling a new problem, or observing, the process of inquiry can be done in a multitude of ways. An Inquiry Deliverable is a product that encapsulates the learning from an inquiry phase. These can also take a multitude of forms: infographics, pictures, podcasts, artwork, summaries, editorials, graphs, videos, journals, soundscapes, essays, letters, experimental designs, etc. How might students in your design encapsulate and display the results of their exploration?

Project

The Project phase of learning design is the invitation to apply the learning from the Inquiry phase by Making, Creating and Doing. This is where students can take what they’ve learned and use it to create something for an authentic audience. More learning can certainly take place during this phase (how to use a tool or piece of software for instance), but the focus is on being creative in making a high quality product. Models, art, proposals, speeches, functional products, videos, games, performances, displays, exhibits, and many other products are all potential Project Deliverables.

Exhibition

Exhibition of student work can be a factor in driving engagement, product quality, and pride. Students who exhibit for an audience of one (the teacher) only have that teacher’s feedback and the grade to measure the value of their work. When students can exhibit to a large audience that includes many stakeholders, including experts in the discipline being explored, the value of their effort is magnified significantly (as are the social stakes). Who (besides their teacher) should student work be displayed or published to? What venue, format, or platform would offer a high degree of authenticity for this project?

THE PROCESS

Take a walk through The RVS Learning Design Process components to see how each is used. While they can be put together in any sequence, the order we’ve placed these in is how we most frequently think through our own designs.

1. Title

A powerful experience deserves a strong title. Whether you’re designing a single lesson or an entire unit, give your design a memorable name.

2. Question

An essential question (or questions) serves as a focus for the design. A good question invites exploration toward many possible answers or outcomes. While these can be phrased in many different ways we find “How might we [action or challenge] for [audience or purpose]?” can be a powerful way to phrase a driving question. Check out Andrew Miller’s blog on crafting essential questions for more information.

3. Partners

These are people and organizations who are outside your classroom who might bring assistance, authenticity, or expertise to the experience: parents, companies, institutions, colleagues, foundations, neighbors, friends, etc.

4. Experiences

Along this lane we plot the essential activities that students will engage in as they move through the learning. What might students make, create, and do in order to meet the objectives for the learning and to answer the essential question? Are reading, writing, and listening balanced with engaged conversation, hands-on experiences, and collaborative inquiry? How will the learning be scaffolded so that when students demonstrate what they’ve learned and created summatively, they’ve had the opportunity to build their skills and understanding?

5. Reflections

“We do not learn from experience… We learn from reflecting on experience.” — John Dewey

This lane “balances the equation” plotted in the Experiences lane. On this line activities are plotted that answer some of these questions:

How might students reflect on their experiences and consolidate new understanding with prior knowledge?

How might they relate what they’ve learned to others?

How might they revise or iterate on the things they are making and creating?

6. Timeline

While the watermarked words on the template serve as a useful list for a variety of actions and activities, this space is actually meant for plotting a timeline for the learning journey. Whether these are the times of day during a single lesson or the times of year during a unit or course, time runs from left to right on the framework.

A Learning Design Process

A template like the one featured here is useful for mapping a Learning Design Process. So why the “waves” look? We often think of learning as a journey, and unlike “traditional” lesson planning, the focus on this learning design format is on making the plans themselves visual. It’s meant to be spread out on a white board or chart paper. We like using sticky notes or dry erase marker to make our plans. This is partially so that they can be edited and altered easily, but it’s also so that the plans can be displayed and seen.

Visual planning invites conversation. Like a work of unfinished art, it asks you to stand back and look at the whole journey as well as get up close and examine the pieces. We think that the most powerful thing you could do with any lesson plan is to share it with a colleague and ask them to give you their thoughts on what you’ve come up with so far. This template can certainly be used on your own, in a binder, and for your eyes only. But where it really shines is when it is out in the open for your students and colleagues to see.